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9/15 Jackson, Beliveau to play for Team USA

Cubs prospects Brett Jackson and Jeff Beliveau will play for Team USA in the 2011 World Cup and Pan Am games next month. The team will compete in both the IBAF Baseball World Cup in Panama City, Panama, Oct. 2-15, and the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 20-25. The U.S. roster features 24 players not currently on MLB 40-man rosters. Jackson currently ranks 36th on MLB.com’s Top 50 prospects list and played in 2010 in the Pan Am qualifier.

Ernie Young will manage the U.S. team in Panama and Mexico, and will be joined on the coaching staff by pitching coach Kirk Champion, hitting coach Leon Durham, and assistant coaches Jay Bell and Roly de Armas. The Pan Am Team will gather in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex to train from Sept. 27-29. Team USA has defeated Cuba in the gold medal game of each of the last two World Cup finals. First round action kicks off on Oct. 2 against Japan at Rod Carew Stadium.

At the conclusion of the World Cup on Oct. 15, the U.S. will travel to Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, for the Pan American Games baseball competition. The first game will be Oct. 20 against the Dominican Republic. The U.S. last fielded a pro team at the Pan Am Games in 1999.

Beliveau began the season at Class A Daytona and posted a 0.52 ERA in 12 games, giving up one earned run over 17 1/3 innings. He was promoted to Double-A Tennessee and went 6-1 with three saves and a 1.89 ERA in 41 games, striking out 69 over 57 innings. Opposing batters hit .183 against the lefty, who was the Cubs’ 18th round pick in 2008. Jackson batted .274 with 20 homers, 23 doubles at Tennessee and Iowa combined.

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